The story of Ganga

 

The story of Ganga

Subrata Bhattacharya

 

Seven generations to construct a water supply project? Yes, it is true and natural in the early iron age era. It is the result of the dedication and integrity of some great kings of the Surya lineage. We are still enjoying the fruits of the work of some hard-working people and one ambitious and prudent leader. Presenting you the tale of the Ganga river.

1

A silent and moonlit night in the Himalayas. King Bhagirath had got no sleep in his eyes. He was sitting on a rock in front of a cave thinking deeply. "Where is the end of this Tapasya (austerity)? Summer is coming to an end, yet we could not come up with a clear design. How many more generations will be required to complete the work?" In fact, the work was started by his seventh ancestor King Sagar. 

                Bhagirath was searching for a high and large reservoir in the Himalayas, which could be opened and linked to a canal to flow through his kingdom. Unfortunately, he could not find any suitable reservoir to date. The work of making the course of the river starting from the last plateau of the Shivalik hills to the sea in the southeast of his kingdom was almost complete. The project was continued by his ancestors, who were kings, and himself. The rocky maze of the mountains locally called the jata of Lord Shiva, made the task more complicated. Actually, digging a long canal was not a big problem in the flatlands. It was not necessary to make it too deep. When massive water comes into the shallow canals, it can make its own way, cutting the land and flooding the nearby areas.

Bhagirath’s canal digging laborers and supervisors were living in tents in the lower valley. It took almost five years of research or tapsya to calculate the number of the various natural reservoirs located in this area, their height, nature, water holding capacity, etc.  

The Devas living in the Devlok, near the Himalayas, welcomed Bhagirath’s initiative to dig the river but little did they expect that Bhagirath would really try to finish the project, which was going on since the time of King Sagar, seven generations ago. Of course, much had changed in the last seven hundred years. In the southeast part of the Kosala kingdom, new metal was discovered, which was named "lauha" or iron. People started making spades, hammers, sickles, and arrows from the magic metal. The metal was much stronger than the copper, bronze, or brass of the time of King Sagar. It was not difficult to extract and could be forged to make tough and hard spades and pickaxes.

Brahma, Bhagirath's chief consultant, who belonged to the Deva community said, "Think in detail about the task." In fact, since Brahma himself was a Deva, Bhagirath knew that only he could assist properly to identify the water reservoirs. People of the flatlands knew nothing of the landforms of the Himalayas. With great difficulty, Bhagirath persuaded Brahma to survey the area with him for some time and to get some knowledge about the landform. The task itself was another Tapasya.

Brahma also advised, "Do not try to release multiple reservoirs at one time. And do not free any reservoir which cannot give you water all year round. Therefore, the source of water in the reservoirs should also be observed. Release only one or two reservoirs, then make small canals from the other reservoirs and connect to the mainstream. "

The enthusiasm of every laborer had almost come to a standstill, everyone was looking forward to returning home. Although it was hot in the plains now, it was very cold in these parts of the Himalayas. Many laborers had lost their lives in accidents while making designs by repeatedly climbing up and down the low mountain peaks of this rugged valley. The higher you go, the better the whole area is visible, but the work was extremely difficult. On top of that, there were sudden snowstorms, which had already claimed many lives. 

Leaving all his royal affairs, Bhagirath was engaged in this austerity, which was not over yet. After two months, the rain would start. The rainy season in the Himalayas is very dangerous. Then no one could stay here anymore. Everyone should be taken closer to the nearest plane. When the rain stops, the appearance of the mountains might be completely different due to multiple landslides.  All would have to start working anew from autumn to winter. This was happening for the last four years.

 

2

A tale of about seven hundred years before the birth of Bhagirath:-

    Revati has been watching for the last two days that the look of her city has suddenly changed. In her fifteen years of life, she has never seen people walk around with such frustration and grief in their eyes. She always used to see cheerful people around her singing, joking, and entertaining. The terracotta brick roads seem to be wider today. Only one or two bullock carts or handcarts can be seen on the roads. No one is busy today. The market seems to be in shambles. On other days, the road leading to the port on the Saraswati river used to be so crowded that it was impossible to walk. Many people used to sit on the side of the road making seals of various designs, to mark the export goods. No one is present today. On the other days, many foreign ships were visible which used to carry export goods. Today, there are only two ships, no one is loading clothes, jewelry, and utensils in them. Maybe after a while, the empty ships will leave for the last voyage. There is no one in the barley fields by the river. The huge brick houses along the road are standing like ghosts.

  A few weeks ago, the situation was completely different. After her father went out to farming, Revati used to take a bath in the city's huge public bathtub and went with her mother to make jewelry in a nearby building. The ornaments made of different stones were exported abroad. Many people used to work there. Revati's job was to make garlands with those stone bullets. It was the job for the junior ones. The elders used to cut or polish the stones to specific shapes.

 A few days ago, some representatives of the chief of the town suddenly came and told everyone to stop all work immediately and attend the meeting place of the city.

After people assembled in the meeting place, the chief, with much grief and sorrow, informed them that some days ago, a big earthquake in the Himalayas blocked the Saraswati river's water source.

“It is our misfortune that the cities that have been built on the bank of the Saraswati river for years are now suddenly on the brink of famine. The scarcity of water will stop all types of farming. All the trade routes by the river will be stopped. It will be difficult to get water for household work or even for drinking, as it is uncertain whether it rains every year or not. If you dig the land here, you will not get water if the river dries up. We do not have a good water layer below the ground. We need to migrate to another place.

Sagar, the king of Koshala is a very kind-hearted and pious person. He has agreed to give us shelter. Sufficient water is available in his state. King Sagar has dug many reservoirs for his people. No matter how we earn our living there, this city should be abandoned now. We have very less time. Please start moving towards the east as soon as you can."

Within a few days, a big caravan of thousands of people on bullock carts, walking with household items, cows, buffaloes, goats, ducks, and domesticated hens started moving east crossing the Aravalli mountain range. A great migration started.

 

3

The people of Koshala welcomed the people from the Saraswati valley heartfully. The migrants were more skilled in building constructions than the people of Koshala. The kingdom was self-sufficient in producing food grains. The land was fertile. Sometimes the agricultural production was excess for the people to consume. Initially, the migrants did not create any big burden on the state's economy. They also assimilated with the local people, with a major contribution to the state's infrastructure development. 

 Time runs at its own pace. The situation changed completely after two years. There was no rain for two years. The state was on the brink of famine. People started to look upon the migrants as a burden to the state. The local people started harassing them. 

King Sagar was in a dire need of new fertile lands, water, and other resources.

The first thing that occurs to a king's mind when something is wrong, is to offer puja or organize a Yagna. King Sagar decided to organize an Ashvamedha Yagna or horse sacrifice. It was also an effective procedure to extend the kingdom beyond the present boundaries. After the Yagna, the horse is set free to be chased beyond the boundaries of the state.  A large troop of soldiers accompanies it. If any neighboring king refuses the dominance of the horse owner king, he had to fight with the soldiers. Otherwise, the horse is chased as far as possible, and the territory it covered is assumed to be owned by the King.

4

King Sagar started the Ashvamedha Yagna. The chanting of the mantras in a chorus could be heard all around. His two queens, Sumati and Keshini were sitting next to the king. Sumati had no children, so she was not allowed to do any Yagna as a rule, but Sagar had declared all the people of his kingdom as Sumati's children. The king liked to call the subjects his son. A young horse was tied at a distance. The king, despite being extremely pious and prolific, could no longer ignore the allure of the Yagna for the sake of extending his territory and spreading his prestige. He secretly desired to occupy the kingdom of the 'Devas' in the north as well. His well-wishers asked him not to perform the sacrifice with such huge expenses at this time of famine. He ignored them, saying that God would be satisfied by the yagna and everything will be fine. 

The horse was released. The army started chasing it. But after a few days, the number of troops chasing the horse began to dwindle. Due to the famine, their families were going through a lot of hardships. They went with the horse at the king's order, but no one had the will or the motivation to fight with anyone. As a result, two weeks after the release, every soldier left the horse. It started moving towards the devloka on its own. Indra, the king of the Devas was already afraid of the strength of Sagar's army. Now he got an opportunity to teach Sagar a lesson. 

King Sagar had great respect for the sages. Indra knew it very well. He took the horse to the ashram or residence of sage Kapila. The sage was very surprised to see the king of devas suddenly in his ashram. Indra explained everything to the sage. He told the sage that, instead of doing the Ashvamedha Yagna, Sagar should arrange to provide water to the entire state. Indra, as he was from the devloka situated in the Himalayas,  had some elementary ideas about the possibility of canalizing a river from the multiple closed natural reservoirs situated in the Himalayas. It was possible for a powerful king like Sagar, to take up a river canalizing project for the sake of his sons. Sage Kapil agreed that it is a big task, but not impossible. It was decided to keep the horse in his ashram till Sagar or his representatives came in search of it. The sage would convince the king to take up the project.

A few days later, it was realized that the horse was missing. Sagar's grandson Anshuman was sent to find it out. After a lot of searching, Anshuman found the horse at sage Kapil's ashram. Anshuman tried to persuade the sage to release the horse, but sage Kapil told Anshuman that the horse could not be released unless Sagar came to meet him.

  Sagar went to meet the sage. He explained to Sagar, how the first priority of a king should be to provide water to the entire state, instead of doing a Yanga. The situation would worsen unless drastic steps are taken to prevent the water crisis. The people would have to migrate to other places. After a long discussion, the sage convinced Sagar to take up the project of river canalizing. 

  "Create a large river in your kingdom for the sake of your children and the next generations. All will be well. Your name will remain immortal"

    A big project began. Sixty thousand diggers were employed to complete the task. It was decided that the river would flow through the state and be released into the southern sea.

Work started with a lot of enthusiasm. The diggers were Sagar's special children, respected by everyone in his kingdom. 

Obstacles come when any work is started. A big tragedy happened while excavating in the volcanically active area in the southeast of the kingdom. A sudden volcanic eruption started while digging in the area. All the sixty thousand diggers were burnt to death. The tragic incident cast a shadow of misery over the entire state. The common man began to say that if the project was not completed, the souls of the king's sixty thousand children would find no peace. So the work did not stop, but the king could not finish the work in his lifetime.

Many worthy and incompetent kings came after the death of King Sagar. Some of them took the project a little further and someone could not do anything. Bhagirath was the seventh descendant of them.

5

Bhagirath suddenly woke up to the chirping sound of the birds. He could not remember when he fell asleep while sitting on the rock. It was morning. His eyes fell into the distance. Three people were coming towards the cave of Bhagirath.

    One of the people was Manibhadra. It seemed that there were two local Kirat people with him. Manibhadra was the most efficient supervisor of Bhagirath. He was the chief overseer of the river construction project. Bhagiratha liked the man very much. His ancestors actually migrated from the basin of the Saraswati river during the reign of King Sagar. Since then, their lineage had developed their construction skills in such a way that it was impossible to think of such a big project without them. The Koshal people were skilled only in agriculture and warfare.

- "Pranam Maharaj."

- "What's up Manibhadra? Looks like you've brought some good news! Who are they with you?"

- "They are Kumbha and Subahu. I went to their village yesterday to get some information about our design. They told me about a huge lake called Ganga. If you go a little northwest of this mountain you can see the lake. The water of that lake is always full. The water comes from a glacier called Gangotri. We saw it from a distance but could not examine the source properly. Some people in their village have seen the source and confirmed that there was no chance of any shortage of water in the lake"

- "Great news. Can we travel to see it today?"

- "Surely, Your Majesty, the weather is fine today. We can get there in the evening."   

   It was decided to visit the place. The majority of the people stayed in their tents. Only four accompanied Bhagirath and Manibhadra to see the reservoir.

   It was late at night when they reached the lake. On reaching there, Bhagirathi felt as if his Tapasya had become successful. He did not realize before that there was such a big lake in this region. The lake was glistening in the moonlight. Several stones were thrown into it to get an idea of the depth, it seemed to be too deep. It occasionally indicated the presence of various animals in it. Upon arriving here, Bhagirath noticed a crocodile, now it seemed that there were various snakes, turtles, fishes, and other animals in the water. The presence of so many animals in it proved that the lake was always full of water round the year.

    Bhagirath took the decision. Ganga lake was the ideal lake for his dream project. It should be canalized through his kingdom. They camped there for the night. The news was sent to the diggers in the morning. A few days later, the work started.

6

   Almost one month passed by. It was the final day of completing the excavation. Everyone was very excited. The plan was to dig a short canal from the lowest side of the reservoir. According to Manibhadra's calculations, the mouth of the canal was far away from the lowest part of this reservoir, but that distance was gradually sloping down to the south. As a result, the water would flow through the stony maze of Lord Shiva's jata under its own pressure and would open in the dug canal. 

People from the nearby villages of Deva, Yaksha, and Gandharva race had gathered to witness the incident. Brahma, the chief adviser of Bhagirath, was also invited from the Devlok. The sun had already set, but enthusiastic workers did not stop their work. The waxing crescent moon of the third day was visible in the clear sky. The auspicious moment finally arrived. The Ganga Sarovar was opened up. The workers ran away to the nearest hillock immediately after opening it.

     The height of the lake was much higher than the canal. Although it was dug in a small area on the shore of the lake, it started getting bigger due to the pressure of the water. Bhagiratha moved to a safe distance along with the workers. Enthusiastic Devas, Gandharvas, and other spectators were watching the scene from afar. 

After a while, due to the strong pressure of the water, the dug part of the lake completely collapsed. With a loud roar, a huge stream of water engulfed everything in front and began to move forward with the aquatic creatures in it. On the semi-moonlit night, it was a heavenly scene. Big fishes and other creatures seemed to be dancing in joy in the glistening water. Countless snakes and turtles were floating in the water. Bhagirathi took a deep breath. A big project was completed.

       Voices came from all around "Sadhu, Sadhu!" "Victory to Maharaja Bhagirath!" Bhagirath was wondering about how to express gratitude to  Manibhadra and the other workers. Suddenly Manibhadra's voice was heard saying "Let this river have another name, Bhagirathi. Our king should become immortal." Again the voices rose "Sadhu, sadhu! hail to King Bhagirath, hail to the river Bhagirathi!" Brahma slowly approached Bhagirathi and said, "Your Majesty, your Tapasya is successful. Your country has got a new river. People will remember you forever. Everyone will remember this day as Akshaya Tritiya and celebrate it every year."

      Manibhadra was standing a little distance away and was planning his next duty. This strong current would subside in a few hours. The river would also determine its course by the current. The question was what would happen next? The Ganga might have water all year round, but how much water would there be? From the next day, he would have to start the journey towards the flow with all the workers. The task would be to cut some more canals from other small reservoirs and connect them to the Ganga. Also, if any obstacle comes into the flow of the river, it should be removed.

     The first obstacle came near the Jahnu hill. The shape of the mountain was like the thighs of a reclining person with his knees up. The hill was called Jahnu, as they called the thigh in their language. 

Several days passed. Bhagirath, Manibhadra, and other workers were completing the task of canalizing the other small reservoirs and observing the river downstream. The stream seemed to vanish suddenly near the Jahnu hill. Everyone was surprised. Where did the water go? Manibhadra went to observe the mountain. It turned out that there was a huge cavity in the hill. It was not visible from the top, but it occupied a huge space inside the hill. Manibhadra smiled and said, "Ganga must be freed again from the hands of this Jahnu Muni."

Work started again. The only task was to find the weakest layer between the mountain and its cavity. If it could be opened somehow, the water would come out by its own pressure and maybe even break that part of the mountain. That task was also completed under the able supervision of Manibhadra. The river Ganga broke through the hill and came out. The workers of Manibhadra renamed the river "Jahnavi." because it came out from the thighs of Jahnu Muni.

    Bhagirath's luck was good, no more obstacles came on the way of the river. The river crossed the Koshal kingdom at its own pace and cooled down the arid lands of the region. The souls of the sixty thousand children of King Sagar seemed to get solace. They got to heaven in peace. The people of the Koshal kingdom praised Bhagirath a lot. 

One of the most important rivers in northern India was created. Although the Saraswati River gradually became extinct, the Ganges seemed to be a boon to the people, who had migrated to the Koshala kingdom about seven hundred years ago in search of greener pastures. Future generations immortalized Bhagirath through various folktales and stories. The people around the river Ganga still believe that Bhagirath's Tapaswa was the hardest Tapaswa of all.